College of Pharmacy Receives Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award

College of Pharmacy Receives Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (Feb. 15, 2013) - The College of Pharmacy has been selected to receive the Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award, which recognizes a school of pharmacy demonstrating a major institutional commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice and research.

The college was recognized for bringing direct care to underserved communities locally and nationally; developing new practices in underserved rural, urban and Native American communities; and advocating for the ability of pharmacists to serve the public.

"Community service and public engagement permeate our college's missions and our values, and guide both our long term and daily decision-making," said Dean Marilyn Speedie. "It is integral to who and what we are, and we strive to have the greatest possible impact from our activities."

Named after former University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy Dean Lawrence Weaver, this award is given annually by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The award highlights community service as an important element of the academic mission, and singles out institutions that can serve as examples of social responsiveness on the part of the academic pharmacy community. The award includes a $5,000 honorarium to distribute to community partners to support continuation or expansion of their collaboration. The award will be presented to the college in July at the annual AACP meeting in Chicago.

"I would like to thank the many students, faculty and others who helped put the award nomination together and who participated in the daylong AACP site visit," said Speedie. "I would also like to congratulate everyone in the college for receiving this prestigious award. It truly represents our college's long and proud history of engagement with the communities we serve."

Media Contact: Amy Leslie, College of Pharmacy, 612-624-7654 or johns423@umn.edu

The University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, the only school of pharmacy in Minnesota, offers its program on the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. Founded in 1892, the College of Pharmacy educates pharmacists and scientists and engages in research and practice to improve the health of the people of Minnesota and society. The college is part of the Academic Health Center, which is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Learn more at www.pharmacy.umn.edu